THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 11, 2024 at 18:10 JST
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, left, visits Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Dec. 10 at Ishiba's office in Tokyo. (Takeshi Iwashita)
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the security sector, particularly in light of Finland joining NATO last year.
"The extremely difficult international situation we face today further strengthens the bond between the two countries," Ishiba said on Dec. 10 as he welcomed Orpo at his office in Tokyo.
The two leaders confirmed they will begin negotiations on an agreement for the transfer of defense equipment and technologies between the two countries.
They also agreed on cooperation in wider science and technology fields, including supercomputing along with 5G and 6G mobile networks.
Finland, which shares a border stretching more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia, has been increasingly concerned about regional security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This led the Nordic country to shift its long-standing military neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April last year.
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